Rockets’ Machado lets his passing make his point

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McALLEN — In many ways, Scott Machado is unique among Rockets point guards. He is actually a point guard.

The Rockets have many athletes who can play the point and who are vying to man the position behind Jeremy Lin. Only Machado is a point guard the way the position has traditionally been defined, he is a playmaker first, and probably second and third, too.

This is neither good nor bad, an advantage nor disadvantage in the competition for playing time.

But it does make him different from Toney Douglas and Shaun Livingston and with that might offer a chance to stand out.

“It’s a competition,” Machado said. “You have to love to compete to be at this stage right now. But knowing there’s a bunch of point guards available for this spot you just have to have it in mind that every time you step out there you have to prove you’re best out of all the other ones.”

The Rockets have restructured their offense so that it does not demand that it be facilitated by the point guard. Douglas has played well as a hybrid guard, initiating and finishing plays. Livingston has been out with a groin injury but also fit in well in the camp’s first days.

A distributor first
Machado, 22, signed a three-year, partially guaranteed contract last month. He will have to overcome the issues with his range shooting and defensive quickness that left him undrafted despite leading the nation with 9.9 assists for Iona last season. But he has strengths that have also been as evident in the first days of training camp as they were in the final days of summer league.

“I think the way he plays is what we want in our system,” Rockets assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We want to push the basketball and he’s a really good push guard. We want to share the ball and he’s a great passer from the point guard position. What he does kind of sparks the rest of our offense.

“His ability to get Omer (Asik) and Pat (Patterson) and Terrence (Jones) and those guys shots is huge for us. His ability to break down the defense and get in the paint is huge for us.”

There have been some rough moments, too, but even those can be partially attributed to the style that makes him unique among the Rockets.

“He’ll hit his teammates in the head with the ball sometimes because they’re not expecting it,” Bickerstaff said. “They have to get used to playing with him, but he’s doing a great job.”

Machado said he has worked to be more of a catch-and-shoot threat but believes in the old-school point guard style. He would always prefer to watch Steve Nash over Russell Westbrook or Rajon Rondo over Derrick Rose. He created a stir when he said he differs from Lin because he is “a real point guard” and wants to beat him out.

Machado said those comments were misinterpreted but that any competitor would understand.

‘You want to compete’
“He is a wonderful kid,” Machado said. “I’ve been getting to know him even better here. You want to compete. It’s just the mindset I believe every basketball player would have.”

With that in mind, he will compete for a roster spot and point guard playing time his way.

“You have to be confident with your game,” Machado said. “You can’t be afraid to play. You have to show what you can do. That’s what basketball is about.”